Category Archives: Upcoming Events

Please join the Houston Renewable Energy Network for “Solar Energy in Texas” and breakfast on Tuesday, August 28, 2012. Bret Biggart, Director of Business Development for Freedom Solar Power, an industry leading full service solar installation company, will give his perspective on the state of the solar market in Texas.

A networking breakfast begins at 7:30 am, with the presentation to follow at 8 am in the Greenberg Traurig auditorium at 1000 Louisiana Street, Houston, TX. The program, which is scheduled to include some discussion of current issues facing the renewable energy industry and a question and answer period, will conclude at 9 am. There is no cost to attend.

The Houston Renewable Energy Network promotes awareness and education of renewable energy technologies and markets among energy professionals in the Greater Houston area and serves as a networking organization for those with commercial and/or career interests in the Renewable Energy space. The network hosts periodic speaking events that are open to the public.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP, an international law firm with approximately 1800 attorneys serving clients from more than 30 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe and Asia, will host the meeting. Consumer Energy Alliance, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports the thoughtful utilization of energy resources to help ensure improved domestic and global energy security and stable prices for consumers, will sponsor the presentation and its breakfast.

To RSVP or obtain more information on this event or the Houston Renewable Energy Network, please email info@houstonrenewables.org or call Brent Greenfield at 713-337-8821 or Bo Ollison at 713-524-2388.

Michael Skelly, Clean Line President and Founder, will discuss the challenges and excitement of building a transmission development company that moves renewable energy from wind rich areas to major load centers.

Michael Skelly led the development of Horizon Wind Energy from a two-man company to a leadership position in the U.S. wind industry. Founded by the Houston-based Zilkha family, Horizon was acquired by Goldman Sachs in 2005. In mid-2007 Goldman Sachs sold Horizon Wind to EDP in the largest transaction to date in the burgeoning clean energy industry. Before Horizon, Skelly developed thermal, hydroelectric, biomass and wind energy projects in Central America with Energia Global. In the early 1990’s Skelly co-founded the Rain Forest Aerial Tram, a mile-long tramway system which takes visitors on an aerial tour of the rain forest in Costa Rica. That company currently has 400 employees. Skelly has played a leading role in several other businesses. In 2008, Skelly ran for the United States Congress as the Democratic nominee in the seventh District of Texas.

Michael Skelly has a BA in Economics from the University of Notre Dame. He served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Central America before obtaining an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Uday Turaga, with ADI Analytics, will present “How Hot Is It? A Strategic Outlook of Geothermal Energy.” This presentation will provide a strategic overview of the economics, technology and markets of geothermal energy. Discussion topics will include:

-How geothermal energy acts as a environment-friendly resource

-The potential of geothermal energy to provide base-load electric power and heat at a level that can have a meaningful impact on global energy supply

Uday Turaga is the CEO of ADI Analytics, a management and technical consulting firm
serving the energy industry. ADI Analytics is currently studying the economics of
geothermal energy technologies for the U.S. Department of Energy. Turaga received a
Ph.D. from Penn State and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and has
over 10 years of energy industry experience.